In the new world of Modern, does this old snek learn some new tricks? Let’s look at its most common home and cover the basics before we get into why I am so high on this card at the moment.

Right now, Lotus Cobra mainly sees play in fringe archetype Saheeli CopyCat, which is a souped up version of the banned-in-Standard combo deck of the same name. It performs similar basic ramp and color fixing in this four color deck as it did in early Modern decks like Jund with White (“Ajundi”) that featured demanding mana requirements and ambitious spells.

Lotus Cobra also enables some easily overlooked but potent buffs to regular gameplay. Playing shocklands tapped to save life still generates mana, and the Cobra trigger from playing Horizon Canopy allows you to sacrifice it to draw a card immediately.

Ixalan’s Field of Ruin has quickly become a mainstay of Modern land hate. Normally, the total cost of activation is two mana: one “virtual” mana for tapping Field of Ruin to activate, plus two generic mana, then recouping one (assuming you have a basic land). Most times, we are (rightly) happy to make this play because the number of permanents on our board remains the same.

If we add Lotus Cobra to the equation, the total cost drops at least by one from the Lotus Cobra trigger on the searched basic. If you play your land for turn before activating Field of Ruin, the net cost becomes zero mana from two Lotus Cobra triggers: one from the land you played and one from the basic you searched for. This play can also end up net positive on mana if your land for turn is a fetch.

Enough of the regular stuff, let’s talk about another of my favorite cards featuring one of my favorite new mechanics: Tireless Tracker and Investigate!

Tireless Tracker is an undeniable value-generating engine in Gx midrange decks, providing a painless card draw engine that allows you to get ahead and stay ahead. The only “drawback” is that the Clue requires two mana to activate.

Lotus Cobra’s Landfall ability alongside Tireless Tracker (and omnipresent fetchlands) creates a very powerful synergy. Playing a fetchland creates a Clue and triggers Lotus Cobra to create a floating mana. If you crack the fetchland and search for a land that same turn, you’ll get a second clue from Tracker and a second mana from Cobra. You can then spend the two floating mana to crack a Clue, draw a card, and trigger Tireless Tracker’s second ability to add a +1/+1 counter. At the end of the exchange, you still have one mana in your pool for a possible follow-up play, plus an uncracked Clue set up for next turn!

Ahren got started in Magic waaaaaaaaaay back in 1994 with the release of The Dark. His greatest competitive Magic accomplishment so far is Day 2’ing a GP with no byes. His greatest non-competitive Magic achievement is figuring out that Lord of the Pit and Breeding Pit were a “combo” when he was 14. A black mage at heart, he is known for brewing decks, playing 8-Rack, and hosting the Turn One Thoughtseize podcast.